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Aspen golfers nab third straight victory

Jon Maletz
The Aspen Times
Aspen, CO Colorado

Aspen’s struggles in last week’s season-opening golf tournament clearly are a thing of the past.

Clayton Crawford and Jesse Beetham carded 4-over-par 74 and 75, respectively, Wednesday at Avon’s Eagle Vail Golf Club. Those efforts, coupled with a 79 from August So, helped the Skiers (228 points) clinch a third 3A team title in as many days.

Erik Sobeck earned medalist honors for 4A Steamboat Springs, which finished one stroke behind Aspen. The Skiers topped Rifle by just two strokes at Tuesday’s Titan Invitational at New Castle’s Lakota Canyon Ranch Golf Club.



“It was a great team win. I’m really pleased,” Skiers head coach Mary Woulfe said. “The guys are really pulling it out.”

Added Crawford, “My teammates are all doing well. We’re all improving and getting better.”




Rounds have been quite an adventure for Crawford thus far. His 75 on Tuesday was replete with two double bogeys in his first six holes.

The junior had a much more auspicious start Wednesday. With the wind at his back on the par-5 first, Crawford pulled a 9-iron out of the bag for a 185-yard second shot and found the green. He buried the 10-foot eagle putt.

“I actually thought I was a little short of the pin,” Crawford said. “It wound up being hole high, just a little left.”

He could not keep the momentum going, bogeying three of his next four holes before a double at No. 6. His tee shot landed in a bunker, then his second splashed into a water hazard.

Crawford, who made the turn at 1-over, bogeyed four holes and birdied two others on the way in.

“I had a lot of good holes, but I didn’t hit many greens. My ball striking just wasn’t there,” Crawford said. “My putting was good, though. There are definitely some good signs, but I could still use a little fine-tuning.”

There will be little time to practice until the weekend, as the Skiers visit Gypsum Creek and Rifle Creek golf courses today and Friday to finish a five-tournaments-in-five-days stretch.

Aspen will host the Skiers’ Invitational on Monday.